ZERO TO THREE congratulates our own HealthySteps National Director, Dr.Rahil Briggs, Psy.D., and the Pediatric Behavioral Health Integration Program (BHIP) at Montefiore Medical Group in New York on receiving the Academic Pediatric Association 2018 Health Care Delivery Award!

The Health Care Delivery Award from the Academic Pediatric Association recognizes an innovative and effective program that provides health care in the context of a teaching setting. BHIP successfully integrates universal mental health screening, assessment, treatment, consultation, and referral as needed within all Montefiore Medical Group sites serving pediatric patients. The innovative program reduces barriers to access for mental health care for one of the most at-risk populations in the country, and it trains the emerging pediatric workforce to continue to expect gold standard care for their future patients.

As part of BHIP, HealthySteps Specialists coordinate responses to universal screenings and any necessary subsequent assessment, treatment, and referral for children from birth to 5 years old. The Specialists also enroll families with 0-18-month-olds found to be particularly at-risk in a more targeted arm of HealthySteps, providing preventive interventions within all well-child checks. HealthySteps Specialists are trained to identify and provide early intervention/direct services for infant and toddler social-emotional and developmental delays and disabilities, as well as to address the mental health needs of their caregivers. In fact, the HealthySteps program at Montefiore includes a Parental Mental Health component, through which caregivers may receive their own individual psychotherapy on site at the Pediatric setting.

While at Montefiore Health System, Dr. Briggs grew the HealthySteps footprint from one to 20 practices, serving more than 30,000 children annually. The Montefiore HealthySteps model informed the roll-out of the program throughout New York state.

ZERO TO THREE congratulates Dr. Rahil Briggs and everyone who works with the Pediatric Behavioral Health Integration Program at Montefiore Medical Group! The award will be presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in Toronto, Canada on Sunday, May 6.